2/19/13

Devil Dinosaur #1 - Jack Kirby art & cover

Jack Kirby

Devil Dinosaur v1 #1, 1978 - One of Jack Kirby's most ridiculed titles of 1970s, an early human called Moon Boy partners with a fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. The artwork is far better than most people expect. His eclectic style is well suited to themes of historical science-fiction. Kirby's cover seems hurried, but he compensates with a jarring two-page spread toward the front of the book. One of his signature innovations, the explosive scene provides an exciting start to the series. This is number 1 of 9 Devil Dinosaur issues with Kirby art and/or covers.
- - - - - - - - - -Kirby cover pencils (Mike Royer inks) = **"Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy" Kirby story pencils (Mike Royer inks) 17 pages = ***

Kamandi was Kirby's longest running DC title, so it's safe to assume it had a large following at the time. The art on the last half of the run starts to decline, but I still found it enjoyable. What's ironic is how much better his work was during his migration back to Marvel in the mid 70s. Early issues of Black Panther, 2001, and Devil Dinosaur were surprisingly good (DD stories were pretty silly). His Machine Man and Captain America issues around the same time were weaker than the above. For a real treat, check out his run on Our Fighting Forces (mid 1970s), all of which have been reviewed here.